By Thomas Tuchel is set to tackle one of the most demanding coaching jobs in sport: overseeing the England men’s national team.
The English FA announced on Wednesday that Tuchel would be taking on the high-pressured, high-stakes position, three months after Gareth Southgate resigned from the role.
This will be the German’s first appointment in international football having previously taken charge of Mainz, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, guiding the Blues to the UEFA Champions League title in 2021. He most recently managed Bayern Munich in Germany, leaving the club at the end of last season.
“I understood very quickly that it’s a big job,” Tuchel said in his first press conference as England boss. “I think the job you’re in is always the biggest job and it doesn’t make a lot of sense to compare, but it feels big and it feels like a privilege.
“It’s very new because I come from club football, so the rhythm, the responsibility, the role is a new role, which is also very exciting. I was very open to that and liked the idea of it. Once I made a timeframe up in my mind – from January ‘til the World Cup – I already felt excited.
“It suited my passion and my strive to push this group of players and to be part of this federation with such a strong record in the last tournaments, to push it over the line and to try to put a second star on the shirt.”
Tuchel, like many managers before him, takes the reins of an England team with a talented crop of players but no recent silverware to show for it.
Southgate came painfully close to winning the Three Lions’ first major international title in decades on several occasions, finishing runner-up at back-to-back European Championships and reaching the semifinals and quarterfinals of the past two World Cups.
But the mild-mannered Englishman’s time in charge ultimately ended in disappointment, losing to Spain in the final of Euro 2024 earlier this year.
Tuchel is the latest man to be tasked with guiding England to a major trophy, following in the footsteps of Sven-Göran Eriksson and Fabio Capello as the team’s third overseas coach.
With some of the world’s best players at his disposal – including Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, and the in-form Cole Palmer – his primary target will be success at the next World Cup in 2026, jointly hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.
“I am very proud to have been given the honor of leading the England team,” Tuchel said in the FA’s press release. “I have long felt a personal connection to the game in this country, and it has given me some incredible moments already.
“To have the chance to represent England is a huge privilege, and the opportunity to work with this special and talented group of players is very exciting.”
Following Southgate’s departure in July, Lee Carsley was appointed as the team’s interim manager, overseeing three victories as well as a first-ever defeat against Greece last week.
The FA said that Carsley will remain in charge of the Three Lions until the end of the UEFA Nations League group stage next month. Beyond that, he will return to his role as head coach of the England under-21 team.
In Tuchel, the FA has turned to an experienced coach with a winning pedigree. The 51-year-old, who takes charge of England from January 1, 2025, led Dortmund to the German Cup in 2017 before winning successive league titles with PSG in Ligue 1.
Having guided the French side to the Champions League final in 2020, he moved to Chelsea the following season and oversaw a surprise run to European glory, defeating Manchester City in the final.
A disappointing start to the next campaign resulted in Tuchel being sacked by Chelsea. Appointed Bayern Munich manager several months later, he oversaw the club’s successful Bundesliga campaign in 2022/23 before finishing second behind an inspired Bayer Leverkusen team the following season.
As England head coach, Tuchel will be supported by Anthony Barry, his assistant at Chelsea and Bayern.
“We are thrilled to have hired Thomas Tuchel, one of the best coaches in the world and Anthony Barry who is one of the best English coaches to support him,” said FA chief executive Mark Bullingham.
“Our recruitment process has been very thorough. Before the Euros, we had a contingency plan and outlined exactly the qualities we would be looking for in a coach.
“Since Gareth resigned, we have worked through the candidate pool, meeting a number of coaches and evaluating them against that criteria. Thomas was very impressive and stood out with his vast expertise and his drive.”
England captain and all-time record goalscorer Harry Kane scored a record-breaking number of goals under Tuchel at Bayern Munich last season and said he is “looking forward to playing under the boss again.”
Much has been made about the England national team hiring a German coach, with some negative headlines in the British press being scorned by fans.
When asked what his message was to those people who thought the Three Lions should be coached by an English manager, Tuchel laughed: “Sorry! I just have a German passport but I can just tell them – maybe all of these supporters also felt my passion for the English Premier League, my passion for the country, how I love to live here and how love to work here. My memories are on the highest level.
“That played a huge role. Hopefully, I can convince them and show them and prove to them that I’m proud to be the English manager. I will do everything to show respect to this role and to this country.
“The target for the next 18 months is nothing else, the biggest one in world football. Everyone can be assured of that no matter what nationality my passport is.”
